The Ruling on Debating Matters of Creed and Faith

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: People have appeared in this agenda who approve of the methodology of terrorism and say, "We are Salafis." Some of them praise and criticize scholars of the Sunnah, calling them takfiris (those who declare others disbelievers). The question is: What is your opinion of these people, despite the fact that they have become numerous in this gathering?

Answer:
I say that it is not permissible to debate matters of faith and matters of creed. Rather, it is obligatory for us to learn them according to the methodology of the Salaf. We learn matters of creed according to the methodology of the Salaf, and praise be to Allah, they are documented in the books of creed. The creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that faith is speech, action, and belief: speech with the tongue, belief in the heart, and action with the limbs. We study this, believe in it, and teach it to our students. As for us disputing whether action is part of faith, that is the methodology of the Murji'ah. The people of the Sunnah say, "No, faith is from action, and action is from faith; it is not outside of faith." There is evidence for this from the Book and the Sunnah, such as the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) . Thus, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) made the characteristics of faith and the branches of faith numerous. Some of them are verbal, such as saying "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah). Some are practical and physical, such as removing a harmful object from the path. And some are actions of the heart, such as modesty, fear, and awe of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So faith is comprehensive, encompassing the speech of the tongue, the belief of the heart, and the action of the limbs; all of it is faith. Therefore, there is no need for debate, and praise be to Allah, the Salafi books of creed are documented and studied, and no disagreement occurred in them until this new growth appeared, which is characterized by ignorance. They have not studied the creed of the Salaf as it should be studied, nor do they want to study it. They only want to take the statement of so-and-so or so-and-so. These people are of no account, and we do not pay attention to them. We do not seek them out; they are of no account, nor are their words, just as there is no account of their predecessors who excluded action from the definition of faith. Yes.